BALTIMORE: 2017: 75-87, fifth place.
MANAGER: Buck Showalter (ninth season).
ADDITIONS: RHP Alex Cobb, RHP Andrew Cashner, OF Colby Rasmus, LHP Nestor Cortes Jr., C Andrew Susac, INF Engelb Vielma, OF Austin Hays.
SUBTRACTIONS: C Welington Castillo, SS J.J. Hardy, RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, LHP Wade Miley, RHP Jeremy Hellickson.
OUTLOOK: The Orioles were 25-16 and in first place last year before fading to their first losing season since 2011. The prospect for improvement will rest on a power-laden lineup that needs Davis and Trumbo to rebound from poor performances, but both sluggers fought through injuries this spring and Trumbo will be on the disabled list on opening day. With a shaky rotation and a bullpen that is without injured closer Zach Britton, the Orioles must score plenty of runs to make some noise in the AL East. Baltimore's defense, usually a strong point, was not particularly efficient in 2017. The team addressed the problem by switching Machado to shortstop and working hard on fundamentals this spring. Most important, this could be the last season in Baltimore for Jones and Machado, whose contracts expire after 2018. If the Orioles are sputtering in July, the most intriguing aspect of the team might be whether one or both stars get jettisoned before the July 31 trade deadline.

BOSTON: 2017: 93-69, first place, lost to Houston in ALDS.
MANAGER: Alex Cora (first season).
ADDITIONS: DH J.D. Martinez.
SUBTRACTIONS: MANAGER John Farrell, RHP Doug Fister, OF Chris Young, RHP Addison Reed, OF Rajai Davis, LHP Henry Owens, LHP Fernando Abad.
OUTLOOK: The Red Sox won 93 games last year for the second straight season and claimed the franchise's first back-to-back AL East titles. But Farrell was fired after they failed to advance in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. The key ' and really only ' addition is Martinez, who gives them someone to replace longtime slugger David Ortiz after finishing last in the AL in homers without Big Papi in 2017. The theory behind Boston keeping up with the reloaded New York Yankees goes something like this: A full season of a healthy Price will bolster a rotation that already has a quality ace in Sale, plus 2016 AL Cy Young Award winner Porcello and All-Stars Pomeranz and Wright. The Red Sox also are staking their chances on the hope that Ramirez can be more like the player he was in 2016 (.286, 30, 111); that Pedroia will return quickly and be healthy and productive; that 20-year-old third baseman Devers will be able to stay up for a full season; and that Bradley won't have another second-half slump. The bullpen, anchored by Kimbrel, remains strong.

PREVIEW

Red Sox setting table for playoff as Orioles' season winds down

BOSTON -- A report surfaced Saturday that had Nathan Eovaldi emerging as the Boston Red Sox's fourth starter in their upcoming American League Division Series.

The news, from Ken Rosenthal of the The Athletic, had Eovaldi jumping ahead of the struggling Eduardo Rodriguez to start Game 4 of the American League Division Series -- because of his success against the New York Yankees.

"We saw what happened this week," said manager Alex Cora. "We have a pretty good idea who matches well with the Yankees."

Last week, Eovaldi, picked up in July from the Tampa Bay Rays, pitched six shutout innings against the Yankees in the Bronx, which would be the site of a potential Game 4 of the first round. Rodriguez had a poor start in that same series.

The Red Sox, of course, are also scouting the Oakland A's, who will play the Yankees in a wild-card game.

"(Rodriguez) likely is out of the division series rotation with Nathan Eovaldi opening the series in the bullpen and then being able to start Game 4 if necessary," Rosenthal said.

Meanwhile, Eovaldi, who faces the Baltimore Orioles -- and Dylan Bundy -- in the opener of a three-game series and the start of the regular season-ending seven-game homestand Monday night, hasn't won in his last eight starts, going 0-3. He started his stay with the Red Sox with a pair of no-run outings, but has been sporadic since.

The right-hander is 5-7 with a 3.98 ERA overall this season, 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA in nine starts with Boston.

Eovaldi is 2-0 with a 5.16 ERA in six career starts against the Orioles.

The Red Sox equaled the franchise record of 105 wins with a victory in Cleveland Friday night -- a night after celebrating winning the American League East in New York -- but then lost Saturday and Sunday nights. They fell to the Indians in 11 innings Sunday night.

Bundy, like most of the Orioles, is suffering through a miserable season, coming in at 8-15 with a 5.37 ERA. He is 1-6 in his last nine starts and is 0-2 in four starts against the Red Sox this season.

The Red Sox are 14-2 against the Orioles this season, 6-1 at Fenway Park -- after Baltimore went 6-3 against the Sox at Fenway each of the last two seasons.

Caleb Joseph is 5-for-9 (.556) with a home run, Adam Jones 6-for-17 (.353) and Chris Davis 4-for-13 (.308) with two homers against Eovaldi.

The Red Sox have some strong numbers against Bundy.

Brock Holt, who has been so vital for his team down the stretch, is 8-for-13 (.615), Steve Pearce 3-for-8 (.375), Sandy Leon 4-for-12 (.333) with a homer, Xander Bogaerts 9-for-29 (.310) with two homers and Andrew Benintendi 8-for-26 (.308) with a home run.

Mookie Betts is at just .258 (8-for-31) but has three home runs against Eovaldi, while Eduardo Nunez is 1-for-8 (.125), Mitch Moreland 4-for-24 (.167) and J.D. Martinez 2-for-11 (.182).

With the Red Sox concentrating on getting through the final week while setting up their postseason pitching and trying to prevent injuries, there's no telling what kind of lineup Cora might put out onto the field in this series.

Bogaerts left Sunday night's game during an at-bat with left shoulder soreness, the move announced as precautionary. Eduardo Nunez remained out with a sore knee but is expected to return early in the week.

Mike Wright came on during the first Yankee at-bat of the game after Alex Cobb suffered a recurrence of his blister trouble. Wright walked the bases loaded (finishing the opening walk) and allowed three runs in that first inning but that was all for the Yankees for the day.

"I mean usually you're kind of aware whether or not you're the long guy for the day," Wright said. "Obviously Alex had issues with his fingers before, so we were kind of on high alert. Once I saw somebody go out I was pretty much ready to go in the game."